Is Dr Teal’s Cruelty-Free and Vegan? (Where’s The Proof?)

Dr Teal’s is famous for its therapeutic tonics developed to revitalize busy minds and sore bodies. Are these soothing products also cruelty-free and vegan?

Dr Teal’s is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. While Dr Teal’s does offer a range of vegan cosmetics, it is not considered a vegan brand.

Dr Teal’s is a brand that uses the natural properties of Epsom salts and essential oils to help people relax and recharge.

Since 2003, they’ve been making ‘high performance remedies for high performance people’. The range started out with their renowned Salt Soaks and has since expanded to skincare, bath, body, and hygiene products.

While some fan-favorite ingredients have stuck around for over two decades – Dr Teal’s has also become more experimental offering new infusions with Cannibas Sativa, melatonin and Ayurvedic Ashwaganda.

We get experimenting with new infusions; but since Epsom salts is a vegan ingredient, shouldn’t Dr Teal’s be 100% vegan too? And why aren't they more open with their customers? 

Is Dr Teal's Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Dr Teals Cruelty-Free Body Lotion

Dr Teal’s is 100% Cruelty-Free

It does not:

  • Test any of its products or ingredients on animals;
  • Purchase any ingredients tested on animals within its supply chain; or
  • Distribute its products to any countries that require animal testing by law.

Dr Teal’s is cruelty-free PETA certified! While this is a great start it might shock you to know that it isn’t best accreditation to reflect their cruelty-free stance!

There is only one internationally recognized certification that guarantees a brand is cruelty-free – and you can check it out Certification

Dr Teal’s is also owned by PDC Wellness & Personal Care, a company that isn’t associated with animal testing.

This brings us to our next point:

Dr Teal’s is Not Vegan

Although the brand is not entirely vegan, Dr Teal’s is pretty close!

Almost all their products are vegan apart from a few vegetarian ones.

While you can visit Dr Teal’s website to identify its vegan products – they do not clearly label each product.

Certain products do state whether they’re vegan or not in their descriptions, and others simply don’t mention anything at all.

If you do select a product, you might be able to spot whether it's vegan (if it mentions it) in the description below the product image: 

Dr Teal's vegan claim website

The only four animal-derived ingredients that Dr Teal’s uses are:

  • Honey & beeswax – these ingredients pose many health benefits to your skin and wellbeing. They have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and are loaded with essential vitamins.

    Just because beeswax isn't vegan, it doesn't mean it can't be cruelty-free. Find out more here: Can Beeswax Be Cruelty-Free?
  • Milk and/or Milk Proteins – when used in personal care, milk proteins protect the skin by forming a film over the surface. This helps keep moisture in and improves skin feel.

If you're interested in which products are vegan or finding vegan brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Dr Teal’s vegan products.

Animal Testing Policy and History

Dr Teal’s do not publicize their animal-testing policy or history. However, they are cruelty-free certified and there’s no evidence of the brand ever having been sold in regions where animal testing is required by law.

Cruelty-Free Status in 2022

While there is no official statement from Dr Teal’s statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products. We can confirm its cruelty-free status though PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program:

Dr Teal's cruelty-free-peta-statement

Certification

It would be nice to see more certification from Dr Teals since it wants to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, it's PETA-approved which is not a bad start. You are likely to find the little cruelty-free PETA bunny next to each one of its products.

While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. It seems only to require a brand's written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.

Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.

The Leaping Bunny association is very strict and reliable, which ensures that:

  • No animal testing is conducted on the ingredients, formulas, or final products they sell.
  • No animal testing is conducted by the brand suppliers or on their ingredients or formulas.
  • No animal testing is done by someone else that the company itself paid for.
  • Any other form of testing (beyond ingredient and consumer safety), such as worker safety and environmental health, are considered and evaluated.

If you see a bunny stamp on the back of your product bottle – that's an excellent sign. But don't let the image itself fool you. A lot of brands are using fake logos to deceive consumers.

Do your homework and see which products are genuinely cruelty-free first. This article will help you: Which Cruelty-Free Logos Can You Trust?

Is Dr Teal’s Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law? 

Dr Teal’s does not sell any of its products in stores in China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law.

China has a shocking track record. It is the country with the most animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used per year.

However, if you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies, there are a couple of loopholes.

Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?

What Dr Teal’s Products Are Vegan?

Dr Teal’s only uses beeswax and milk protein in some of its products, making it 100% vegetarian with a range of vegan products.

Unfortunately, its vegan products aren’t clearly on its website and there is no search bar function either, so it’s not possible to bring up a list of vegan products.

Luckily, we’ve come to the rescue!

We can confirm that the only non-vegan ranges are:

  • Rose & Milk
  • Milk & Honey

And now for the good stuff.

Here are some of Dr Teal’s most popular vegan-friendly product ranges to choose from:

  • Soothe & Sleep with Lavender
    (Pure Epsom Salt, Foaming Bath & Body Wash)
  • Melatonin Sleep Soak
    (Pure Epsom Salt, Foaming Bath & body Wash)
  • Relax & Relief with Eucalyptus & Spearmint
    (Pure Epsom Salt, Foaming Bath & Body Wash)
  • Cannabis Sativa Hemp Seed Oil
    (Pure Epsom Salt, Foaming Bath & Body Wash)
  • Calm Your Mind with Ashwagandha
    (Pure Epsom Salt, Foaming Bath & Body Wash)

If you are unsure about whether a product is vegan or not, we recommend reaching out to Dr Teal’s customer service, and they will tell you exactly what you want to know.

Vegan Alternatives to Dr Teal’s

We appreciate that Dr Teal’s product ranges are almost completely vegan.

In saying that, they don’t mark anything clearly and certain items still have lacto-vegetarian ingredients in them.

If Dr Teal’s not being easily accessible to you, or you’d like to stick to a 100% vegan brand, here are some other great options to choose from:

Is Dr Teal’s Natural and Organic? 

Dr Teal’s does claim to use many natural ingredients, especially in their simpler Epsom Salt blends.

However, it is not considered natural or organic, and it does not market itself as such.

Clean vs. Natural Ingredients

The term "natural" is not regulated for cosmetics and skincare. In other words, it doesn't hold one specific meaning.

Usually, it means a product is free of certain more toxic synthetic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and more. But people also interpret "natural" to mean ingredients of immediate plant origin.

Here's the thing: "natural" is not necessarily good. Just because an ingredient is natural (take egg whites, for example) doesn't mean you should rub it on your skin and risk a salmonella infection!

All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas. Dr Teal’s is no exception – but it does choose to use better or clean synthetics.

If a synthetic ingredient is "clean," it means it is safe and non-toxic for us. Its purpose is to preserve the stability of a beauty formulation.

Does Dr Teal’s Use Safe Ingredients?

According to Skin Safe, Dr Teal’s has an 82-100% allergen-free ranking across 108 products.

All of Dr Teal’s products are paraben and phthalate free. It also avoids using allergens such as common preservatives, gluten, nickel, soy, propylene glycol and dyes.

Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Dr Teal’s is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.

It's also important to note that not all common allergens are bad ingredients overall. This is worth noting given most of Dr Teal’s products do contain fragrance and essential oils.

The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations

We don’t want to scare you, but you HAVE to read up on any product’s ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States. The reason why will shock you.

The FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, have banned 1,328!

Although Dr Teal’s uses clean formulas – it’s worth noting that you should always avoid the following ingredients in personal care products:

  • Ethanolamine compounds (DEA, MEA, and TEA)
  • Butylated compounds (BHA, BHT)
  • PPG, PEG, and polysorbate
  • Propylene glycol (pg) & butylene glycol
  • Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing preservatives
  • Coal tar and benzene
  • Quaternium-15
  • DMDM Hydantoin
  • Homosalate
  • Hydroquinone

Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?

If you’re worried about how safe it is to use cosmetics not tested on animals – please relax and take a sigh of relief.

There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn’t be as safe as anything tested on animals.

Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there is no need.

If you’re interested, here’s more on the subject: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?

Is Dr Teal’s Sustainable and Ethical? 

Dr Teal’s is not particularly transparent with its customers about anything other than their PETA accreditation.

While this does show that they care about humane animal treatment, it’s a separate issue to sustainability and social justice.

All their packaging is plastic, and it is not clear whether it’s recycled or recyclable – because they don’t tell us.

We don’t know if any ingredients are sustainably sourced, or if they use palm oil – because they don’t tell us.

We don’t know if they have any social initiatives because…

They don’t tell us.

We also can’t find anything about the brand’s follow parent company PCD Wellness & Personal Care.

It's no secret that the world has a huge waste problem, and cosmetic brands are only making it worse by using unsustainable packaging and harmful ingredients.

Some of the ways Dr Teal’s and PDC Brands could start taking strong environmental accountability is by:

  • Using natural ingredients and biodegradable formulas that are kinder to the environment.
  • Responsibly sourcing Palm Oil (RSPO certified).
  • Incorporating some sustainably sourced ingredients where possible.
  • Using some recyclable packaging for its product lines.
  • Developing some refillable, long-lasting packaging and reduced plastic refills.
  • Using 100% PCR (post-consumer recycled) and FSC certified.
  • Developing a recyclable pump made of one plastic.
  • Having an active recycling program.
  • Using renewable energy sources for manufacturing, transport, and at head offices.

Final Thoughts

Dr Teal’s is a well-known personal care brand that’s famous for its relieving body care tinctures, tonics and formulas.

The fact that they are cruelty-free is a step towards a more sustainable future, but we would like to certification from other anti-animal-testing organizations.

We appreciate that the brand uses minimal lacto-vegetarian ingredients in few products.

Of course, since Dr Teal’s is not 100% vegan – it might not be the best choice for activists who go the extra mile. Especially with so little information about their ethical factors and sustainability measures.

Honestly – we’re a little disappointed in Dr Teal’s here. It’s 2022 – come on!

This means the brand has run for 19 years without taking social and environmental factors into consideration.

Dr Teal’s may also use palm oil as an ingredient. It could be sustainably sourced, but who would know?

We hope to see a change in this brands lack of consumer transparency and social initiatives. But it is up to us as consumers to stand for what we will and won't accept from our cosmetics. This is something we cannot accept.

Latest Articles